DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

■ >, BUREAU OF FISHERIES 

HENRY O'MALLEY, Commissioner 



THE KENTUCKY RIVER AND ITS 
MUSSEL RESOURCES 



By ERNEST DANGLADE 

Formerly Field Assistant, U. S. Bureau of Fisheries 



Appendix XI to the Report of the u. s. commissioner 
of Fisheries for 1922 




Bureau of Fisheries Document No. 934 



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THE KENTUCKY RIVER AND ITS MUSSEL RESOURCES. 1 



By Ernest Danglade, Formerly Field Assistant, U. S. Bureau of Fisheries. 



CONTENTS. 

Page. 

Kentucky River and its three upstream forks 1 

Shipping facilities 2 

Mussel beds 3 

Mussels _, 5 

Pearls 7 

Methods of mussel fishing 7 

Summary 7 



KENTUCKY RIVER AND ITS THREE UPSTREAM FORKS. 

The basin of the Kentucky River is situated in the eastern portion 
of Kentucky and embraces about one-sixth of the State, or ap- 
proximately 6,700 square miles. The mountain sections, which are 
within the Cumberland Plateau, are rough and uneven, varying in 
elevation from 1,000 to 3,200 feet. The lower two-thirds of the 
basin descends gradually from 1,000 to about 450 feet. Omitting the 
small tributaries leading down from the mountains, the river has a 
fall of about 800 feet, an average of 2 feet per mile. The upper 
third of the stream has a fall of about 3^ feet per mile ; the remainder 
of about 0.9 foot per mile. 

The headwaters of the river, consisting of three branches, the 
North, Middle, and South Forks, have their sources along the 
northern slopes of Pine Mountains. The streams flow in a general 
northwesterly direction and unite near Beattyville to form the main 
stream which continues in the same direction and flows into the 
Ohio River at Carrollton. Including North Fork the river has a 
length of about 400 miles, but in a direct line from source to mouth 
the distance is about 175 miles. The difference of 225 miles is due 
to numerous windings and bends, including two large sweeps, one to 
the north and one to the south. 

It is interesting to note that the Cumberland and Big Sandy Rivers 
have their origins on the slopes of Pine Mountains and that the head- 
waters of these streams are but a few hundred yards from those of 
the Kentucky. 

The river holds the center of the basin from its source to below 
Valley View, a distance of about 240 miles, whence it bears de- 
cidedly westward, especially from High Bridge to the mouth. The 
width of the stream is from 75 to 250 feet and the depth from a 
few inches to 4 or 5 feet in the upper stretches during low water 
up to 40 or more feet in the lower river in times of flood. The banks 
are moderately low and are composed of mud, loam, or solid rock. 
The bottom lands, which are generally rather narrow, are fertile and 

1 Appendix XI to the Keport of the U. S. Commissioner of Fisheries for 1922. B. F. 
Doc. No. 934. 

6196°— 22 1 



A U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 

extensively cultivated. The bed of the stream in the upper divisions 
consists of a series of riffles or shoals having a solid or shingle rock 
floor and long reaches of sand foundation in the pool areas. Through 
the presence of 14 locks and dams, maintained by the Federal Gov- 
ernment, the main stream or the lower two-thirds of the river is in 
pool stages and has, for the most part, a soft mud bottom. 

The river basin contains five geological formations. The first, 
located in the southeastern portion, is the Subcarboniferous forma- 
tion. It is represented by the Pine Mountains, which form a long, 
narrow band or elevation rising above adjacent sandstone areas, and 
is composed mostly of limestone, a mineral of first importance in the 
nutrition of the heavy-shelled fresh-water mussels. The next is the 
Carboniferous, with extensive deposits of an excellent quality of 
coal. The other formations, composed mainly of limestone, are in 
order as follows: the Devonian, the Silurian, and the Ordovician. 
Since the Subcarboniferous comes to the surface toward the north as 
well as in the mountains, it would appear that the Carboniferous 
occupies and fills a broad, deep, and extensive valley of limestone — 
the Pine Mountains on the southeast and the Blue Grass region on 
the northwest. The waters flowing through this region are rather 
hard, obtaining their soluble calcium compounds, which are essential 
to mussel growth, from these extensive deposits of limestone. 

Besides the three principal »forks, there are many small side 
streams and creeks flowing into the river. The largest of these are 
the Red River and Eagle Creek from the east and the Dix River 
from the south. 

The water of the Kentucky is more or less turbid at all seasons of 
the year. During periods of heavy rainfall there is considerable 
crude oil wastage from the adjacent oil fields spreading over the 
river's surface. Other than this, however, there is not an undue 
amount of pollution contaminating the water and detrimental to 
aquatic life. 

SHIPPING FACILITIES. 

The following list gives the larger towns along the main river 
and along the three large upstream forks that have railroad con- 
nections : 

MAIN KENTUCKY RIVER. 

Carrollton Carrolltou & Worthville R. R. 

f Louisville & Nashville R. R. 
Frankfort 1 Frankfort & Cincinnati R. R. 

[ Chesapeake & Ohio R. R. 

Tyrone _ Southern R. R. 

High Bridge Do. 

Valley View Louisville & Naslmlle R. R. 

Ford Do. 

Irvine Do. 

Beattyville Do. 

NORTH FORK OF KENTUCKY RIVER. 

Jackson f Louisville & Nashville R. R. 

— \ Ohio & Kentucky R. R. 

Frozen Ohio & Kentucky R. R. 

Hazard Louisville & Nashville R. R. 

Louisville & Nashville Railroad parallels the stream from Jackson nearly to 
its source. 



U. S. B. F.— Doc. I 





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U. S. B. F.— Doc. 93. 





SCALE 

.Statute mile: 












FIG. 1— THE KENTUCI< 



RIVER AND ITS PRINCIPAL RAILROAD CONNECTIONS. 



KENTUCKY EIVER AND ITS MUSSEL RESOURCES. 3 

MIDDLE FORK OF KENTUCKY EIVEK. 

Louisville & Nashville Railroad parallels the stream from its month to Athol. 
No railroad connections farther up stream. 

SOUTH FORK OF KENTUCKY ELVER. 

No railroad connections on this stream. Nearest railroad shipping point is 
at Eeattyville, at the mouth of the Fork. 

The railroad shipping facilities are poor for the immediate and 
direct handling of fishery products except on the North Fork and 
on the main stream from Beattyville to below Irvine, where the 
Louisville & Nashville Railroad parallels the channel. The railroad 
shipping points other than here are located at points from 30 to 50 
miles apart and, for their use in shipping, fresh-water mussels would 
require previous shipment by packet or towboat. Transportation is 
further facilitated, however, by the 14 Government locks and dams 
previously mentioned. These agencies to improve river commerce 
have made the lower 255 miles of the river from Beattyville to 
Carrollton navigable for steamboats and other craft at all seasons of 
the year, except during times of heavy ice. Thus by towing or 
shipping by small boat or packet the railroad points may be quite 
readily reached. 

MUSSEL BEDS. 

There are many mussel beds in the upper Kentucky, and, although 
small in extent when compared with those of the Ohio and Mississippi 
Rivers, they are generally well stocked and good yielders of com- 
mercial shells. The greater portion of the bars occupied by mussels 
range in area from small patches of a few square yards to 2 or 3 
acres or more. 

The beds may not be situated in the bends, as is often the case in 
the Ohio River, but in localities having permanent or but slightly 
shifting bottoms, in which mussels can burrow and maintain a foot- 
hold. The greater number of such grounds, as the riffles or shoals, 
are found off creeks and small streams or in favorable sections along- 
shore, usually immediately above the shoals and opposite the chan- 
nel. The riffles and other mussel-bearing districts are fairly regular 
in distribution, averaging about two per mile in the most favorable 
sections. There are four principal classes of shell beds in the head- 
waters. 

(1) The riffles. When occurring on a bar of this class, the mussels 
are distributed practically all over it, excepting perhaps in the swifter 
parts and channel. In some places they are found living for some 
distance below as well as above the main riffles. 

(2) Areas situated above exposed bars and in the shallower chutes, 
but seldom in the channel. 

(3) Favorable bottoms at the lower end of long pools or at the 
beginning of shoals, where the current is slow, but uniform through- 
out. Also directly above and below fords. 

(4) Sections alongshore ; occasionally a portion of a bar extending 
across the river. On these beds there are usually large bowlders and 
a shingle or sand-mud bottom. These grounds are generally some 
distance from the shoals. 



4 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 

There are also small bars and patches here and there on good bot- 
toms and scattering mussels between large adjacent beds where the 
current is moderate and the bottom is somewhat unstable or else 
too hard for safe burrowing. Wherever a favorable bottom of any 
size occurs in the streams mussels are to be found. A good indica- 
tion of a shell bed, particularly alongshore, is a growth of water 
willows in moderate current. 

The most productive mussel area in North Fork is the stretch 
from Hazard, Perry County, to Log Shoals, Lee County, a distance 
of about 75 miles. The following list of beds in North Fork were 
worked to some extent during the shelling seasons of 1919 and 1920 : 

Doughty Shoals, 2\ miles above Haddix, Breathitt County. 

Jackson or Coal Chute Bed, Jackson. 

War Shoals, 3 miles below Ohio & Kentucky Railroad Junction. 

Si Bend, 2 miles above Frozen. 

Frozen Bed, Frozen. 

Cedar Point Shoals, 3 miles below Frozen. 

War Creek Shoals, near county line between Breathitt and Lee Counties. 

Hieronymus Ford, Lee and Wolfe Counties. 

Hays Bar, Lee County. 

Upper Twin Shoals, 10 miles above Beattyville. 

Tea Table Shoals, off Tea Table Branch, Lee County. 

Aggie Riffle, near Primrose. 

Laurel Shoals, off Laurel Branch, Lee County. 

Log Shoals, off Log Branch and at the head of slack water. 

Only limited shelling has been carried on in Middle Fork. The 
best beds in this stream are as follows : 

Mill Creek Shoals and vicinity, near Tallega, Lee County. 
Section between Monica, Lee County, and Athol, Breathitt County. 

There are doubtless some good beds above these stretches, but the 
stream becomes rather small and transportation facilities are unsatis- 
factory for heavy loads. 

No shelling has been done in South Fork. There are small beds 
in the section of the stream between the head of slack water and 
Booneville, Owsley County, thence to Bronner Bend, about 5 miles 
by water above Booneville, and at points above. There are no 
railroad or steamboat shipping facilities on this fork, and during 
periods of low stage of water it is impossible to tow heavy loads 
in small flatboats or barges. This would necessitate hauling over- 
land over rough roads. 

As an indication of the productiveness of the upper reaches of 
the Kentucky River it should be mentioned that during the shelling 
operations of 1919 two carloads of marketable shells were gathered 
from the beds of North and Middle Forks and sold at a good price. 
So far as was determined by an inspection of the grounds, the beds 
were not injured by the season's industry. In 1920 the stretch from 
above Haddix to Log Shoals, a distance of about 35 miles, gave a 
return of 87 tons of desirable shells. Rain, high water, and a gen- 
eral shortage of help prevented a greater yield. 

It is not to be understood that the output of these streams will 
equal that of such rivers as the Cumberland, Wabash, or Illinois, 
or that the supply will be inexhaustible. It is evident, however, that 
if fished within reason and at the proper seasons, they will yield 
an appreciable regular annual return. With continued heavy and 
undue shelling, they are liable to reach depletion within two or 
three years. 



U. S. B. F. — Doc. 934. 




FIG. 2.— NORTH FORK OF KENTUCKY RIVER, 2 MILES ABOVE LOTHAIR. 
The bottom is rocky, with some sand and gravel. Only scattering mussels were found. 




FIG. 3.— NORTH FORK OF KENTUCKY RIVER, DOUGHTY SHOALS. 

A fine mussel bed here, mostly muckets. The best portion of the bed is along the opposite 
shore where the water is rather deep and has little current. The white streak is water flowing 
over the riffles. 



U. S. B. F.— Doc. 934. 




FIG. 4.— NORTH FORK OF KENTUCKY RIVER, DOUGHTY SHOALS. 
This shows the riffles and the pool above. The riffles are situated diagonally across the river. 




FIG. 5.— SOUTH FORK OF KENTUCKY RIVER, NEAR BRONNER BEND SHOALS. 
Some mussels are found here. Bottom rooky, with sand and gravel. 



U. S. B. F. — Doc. 934. 




FIG. 6.— SOUTH FORK OF KENTUCKY RIVER, BRONNER BEND SHOALS. 

This shows the left chute around a small bar covered with water willows. Mussels, including 
the Trimcillas, are found here. 




FIG. 7.— SOUTH FORK OF KENTUCKY RIVER, BRONNER BEND SHOALS. 



This shows the right chute around a small bar covered with water willows. Mussels are found 
here. 



KENTUCKY RIVER AND ITS MUSSEL RESOURCES. 5 

MUSSELS. 

The mussels of the Kentucky River are neither uniformly nor 
indiscriminately distributed over a given mussel'bearing area but 
are found more or less grouped in the sections having standard bot- 
tom conditions. They occur, as a rule, more frequently at those 
places with a penetrable bottom in the quieter waters and near shore 
than in the swift portions and in the channel. The mussels are often 
found densely crowded in the beds, standing on end, but so arranged, 
if possible, that the tips of the shells point upstream. 

The 40 species of mussels found in the Kentucky River and here- 
with listed probably do not represent the number occurring in the 
drainage or even in the headwaters. Of the 40 listed species 22 are 
of commercial value in button manufacture. The following table 
gives the names and comparative occurrence of mussels, weight of 
shells, and other considerations of value to the mussel fisherman and 
the manufacturer. 

Mussels of the Kentucky River and Us upstream forks. 



Common name. 


Scientific name. 


Value as 

button 

material. 


Number 
of shells 
per ton. 


Occurrence. 


Elk-toe 














do 










do 










....do 










Fair 




Do. 


Pink heel-splitter 


















Slough sand-shell 












do 




Do. 




Lampsilis ligamentina 


Very good 

Good 


3, 200-7, 100 


Very common. 
















Do. 
























Lampsilis ventricosa 


Good 


3,200-5,300 


Do. 


Three-horned warty- 
back. 






















Do. 










Common. 


Club-shell 








Rare. 






do 




Do. 


Flat niggerhead 




do 








do 






Purple warty-back 




....do 












Do. 


Long niggerhead 




Good 


6,400 
4,000 






do 








do 


Do. 


Do 




do 


4, 200-7, 100 




Wabash pig-toe 




Fair 


Do. 










Long niggerhead 


Quadrula subrotunda 


Good 










3, 700-6, 400 


Do. 








Do. 


White heel-splitter 

Fluted shell 




Fair 


Do. 












Good L. 












Snuffbox 




do 


Do. 



















1 There is no common name in use for this species. 



The mucket, Lampsilis ligamentina, is the most valuable commer- 
cial shell and 5 the predominating species of the headwaters of the 
Kentucky River. The shell beds, as a rule, average from 90 to 95 
per cent of this shell. The following instances are cited to show the 



6 V. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 

abundance and crowded condition of the mussels in many localities. 
On a bed in North Fork, Hays Bar, Lee County, a fisherman,, stand- 
ing in water about 2 feet deep, gathered from one spot, without 
moving his feet, 50 muckets and one lady-finger. A yard further out 
in the river and under similar conditions he took 81 mussels, enumer- 
ated as follows : 77 muckets, 1 pistol-grip, 1 lady-finger, 1 pink heel- 
splitter, and 1 fluted shell. In the same stream at Doughty Shoals, 
Breathitt County, a sheller gathered from a spot of sand bottom 
formed below a large rock 170 mussels, mostly mature muckets. On 
this latter bed, which had been worked during the season of 1020, 
there were observed on an area of 1 square foot the extreme tips of 
11 large, deeply burrowed muckets. 

The nacre of the muckets is usually clear white with very rare 
brownish stains in the region of the umbone. The shell texture is 
firm, in some mussels quite hard, with a tendency to be brittle. The 
mussels are, however, of good quality, though perhaps not equal to 
that of the same species of more northern streams. The medium and 
smaller sized shells of this mucket are tolerably uniform in thickness 
and furnish the best button material. This uniformity of thickness 
makes it possible to cut excellent tips from the shells. The older 
shells are much thicker anteriorly and correspondingly heavier. 

The mucket appears to be holding its own in the Kentucky River, 
as a great many of the mussels found were gravid. A large number 
of juveniles of this species were also encountered, and it appears 
that natural reproduction of this species is occurring in large amount. 
The shells of commercial size, number per ton, are as follows : Large 
size, 3,200; medium, 4,200; and small, 7,100. 

The washboard shells are for the most part very large and very 
heavy shells, with good white nacre and very few stains. The black 
sand-shells are white nacred and of a weight and texture desirable 
for button manufacture. 

The mussel fauna of the Kentucky, as determined principally by 
the species found in the headwaters and creeks, is practically that of 
the Ohio. This is especially indicated in the headwaters by the 
great frequency of the mucket shell. This fact is emphasized also 
by the occurrence on the upstream beds of the following species: 
Truncilla rangiana, Obovaria lens, Quadrula rubiginosa, and Lannp- 
silis luteola. The only species indicating a faunal connection with 
the Cumberland drainage is Alasmidonta minor, which was taken 
near the extreme upper limits of the river, not far from the source 
of the Cumberland. The following mussels, common on many shell 
beds of the Ohio and more or less large river forms, were not ob- 
served in the Kentucky : Niggerhead, Quadrula ebenus; Ohio River 
pig-toe, Q. obliqua; elephant's ear, Vnio crassidens; Missouri nigger- 
head, Obovaria ellipsis; and butterfly, Plagiola securis. The absence 
of these shells is perhaps due to their restricted parasitism of fishes 
that do not ascend the Kentucky River from the Ohio. This is 
particularly true of the river herring, the host of the niggerhead. 
It is not known to have been taken in the headwaters of the Ken- 
tucky drainage. 

The principal fishes observed in the Kentucky River that are im- 
portant in keeping the mussel beds stocked are the black bass, the 
sunfish, the drum, the channel and mud catfishes, gars, suckers, red- 
horse, and minnows. 



KENTUCKY RIVER AND ITS MUSSEL RESOURCES. 7 

PEARLS. 

The upper stretches of the Kentucky River are not rich in pearl 
production. From the good quality of the nacre and the fine con- 
dition of the predominating mussel, the mucket, together with the 
general character of the streams, it would appear that the headwaters 
should yield many valuable gems and an abundance of good baroques. 
But such is not the case. 

These streams, like so many other rivers of the Mississippi Basin, 
were doubtless visited long ago by the pioneers of the shell industry, 
the pearl hunters. The output of pearls then was probably so small 
and the good finds so rare that the hunters left for other fields in 
anticipation of more remunerative returns. They were interested 
only in pearls and, though the beds were full of fine mussels, the 
river was presumably pronounced of no value and was lost sight of 
for commercial shells. 

Only two or three pearling expeditions were learned of and these 
relate to local pearl hunters working at odd times in some of the 
larger tributaries of North Fork. The best finds were evidently of 
only a moderate character. No signs of recent pearl hunting were 
seen. During the limited shelling seasons of 1919 and 1920 no par- 
ticularly good finds were reported by those engaged in the mussel- 
fishing industry. What was found was of small quantity and 
mediocre quality. The baroques and slugs averaged as low as one- 
eighth ounce per ton of shells. During the busy shelling season it is 
hardly profitable for the shuckers to search diligently for slugs and 
valuable pieces while separating the meats from the shells. 

METHODS OF MUSSEL FISHING. 

Notwithstanding the fact that the mussel beds of the Kentucky 
are practically free from snags and serious hangups, the very hard 
and often uneven surfaces are not suited to such appliances as the 
crowfoot dredge, the dip net, tongs, or rake. The compactness of 
the bottom so firmly and securely embeds the mussels that these im- 
plements are quite useless to the sheller. The shell-fork, however, 
can be employed on some of the softer bottoms. 

The method of giving the best results and the one generally 
pursued on the headwaters is that of wading and taking the mussels 
by hand. This method is, of course, dependent on low stages of the 
water. A sheller's John boat is usually taken along side; besides 
affording temporary holding equipment, it is used to deliver the catch 
to the camps. About the only other equipment necessary is a shell- 
fork and a bucket when collections are made at some distance from 
the boat. With the exception of the juvenile shells, the mussels are, 
as a rule, buried seven-eighths or more of their lengths in the hard 
bottoms and are removed with difficulty. 

SUMMARY. 

The Kentucky River is approximately 400 miles long and contains 
many valuable mussel beds. In the upper reaches of the stream these 
number about two per mile of channel. They have well defined and 
characteristic locations easily marked. 



8 TJ. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 

The upper Kentucky River is practically an unknown and un- 
worked mussel-bearing stream and contains an abundance of mussels 
of commercial value, possessing good nacre and texture. Of these 
the mucket constitutes about 90 per cent. This shell has a desirable 
color, texture, and uniformity of thickness throughout. It appears 
probable, therefore, that this stream may be particularly useful in 
the near future as a source of remunerative employment for the 
mussel fisherman and of desirable raw material for the button 
manufacturer. The pearls of this river, as a by-product of mussel 
fishing, are of small consequence, both in the quantity and quality of 
the pieces found. 

The railroad and steamboat shipping facilities of the main river, 
of North Fork, and of lower Middle Fork are satisfactory. On the 
upper Middle Fork and on South Fork there are no railroad or 
steamboat connections and shipments must be handled by small 
boats. In particularly dry seasons of the year transportation must 
be made by hauling over rough roads. This is especially true of the 
South Fork. 

The method of shell fishery in the Kentucky River is limited prin- 
cipally to hand picking or to the use of the shell-fork. A stiff bottom 
in which the mussels bury themselves deeply makes implements com- 
monly used elsewhere in shelling useless in this river. 

Of 40 species of mussels observed as indigenous to the river, 22 
are commercially usable, but only 9 are of relative importance. This 
number includes as the most common shells suitable for button 
manufacture the mucket, the pocketbook, the pimplebacks, the pistol- 
grip, the long niggerheads, the maple leaf, and the fat mucket. 

o 



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